Influence of Diazotrophic Bacteria on Growth and Yield of Sugarcane

Five experiments were conducted to characterize diazotrophic bacteria and to assess the influence of these bacteria on growth and yield of sugarcane. A preliminary experiment was conducted to characterize promising diazotrophs collected from sugarcane soil-plant system in six sugarcane growing regions of Bangladesh. Two promising diazotrophs strains were identified as Acinetobacter calcoaciticus and Bacillus cereus. An in vitro experiment was conducted to determine the effect of two promising diazotrophs strains on growth and biomass production of sugarcane. A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effect of diazotrophs inoculation in combination with urea on growth, juice quality and yield of sugarcane. An experiment was conducted to select suitable carrier materials for biofertilizer production. Finally, an pot experiment was conducted for six months to assess the comparative performance of diazotrophic biofertilizers on growth and biomass yield of sugarcane.